Greetings from Earth
Greetings from Earth is an episode of the TV series, Battlestar Galactica. Plot The fleet continues on its journey to Earth, based on the directions given to them by the Seraphs. Starbuck and Apollo are on a particularly long patrol, long enough Starbuck has spent a period of it asleep. Waking up, he finds his Viper's sensors are detecting a vessel ahead, which scans reveal has sublight transport capabilities and is carring six life-forms with low life-readings. Unable to communicate, with the crew who appear unwilling or unable to respond, the two Warriors tow the ship back to Galactica. Word quickly spreads across the ship about the recent discovery, forcing Commander Adama to report to the entire fleet that they must cease speculating as to the origin of the vehicle, and announcing the ship will be quarantined to prevent the transfer of dangerous diseases between both parties. In the hangar deck, Commander Adama oversees the investigation of the ship. A delicate procedure has already found that the internal atmosphere is at near zero with only traces of Oxygen, which only adds to the mystery how a crew of six humans could survive in there in any health capacity. Putting aside Adama's own hypothesis that Earth humans live in such an environment naturally, the team enters the ship, finding they are in suspended animation, a technology not familiar to the Colonials, who have no use for such technology. Dr. Wilker proposes to slowly investigate the ship's parts to work out how the machinery works so they can be released without unexpected effects. Athena teaches a class on the people in the ship, and explains to the children why the crew are not being let out immediately. She carefully explains that the human body needs time to adapt to a new environment, and anything from unfamiliar food to unfamiliar germs could cause harm. Through anaology, the children are asked if they or their parents got sick after the Cylon attack on the Colonies, which a child confirms, owing to being unoccustomed to what was in their ship's food supplies. Boxey interrupts by asking if it is true the people will wipe out the fleet with their germs, having overheard Apollo and Starbuck arguing. Athena holds the class and takes Boxey out of the room to confront Apollo, who's casual cynicism is a risk to the children's morale. The delay in getting the six people out of their chambers begins affecting the crew. Drs. Wilker and Salik themselves are at a loss and simply cannot work out how to operate the machinery, forcing them to consider press random buttons to get one of the children awake, a process that may be lethal. Athena finds Apollo in an agittated state as he sits in the Warriors' mess with Boomer. He suggests they simply let the ship go on its way to wherether it was headed. Boomer disagrees, and points out that although they've encountered other humans since the attack, they've all been lost colonies descended from the Twelve Tribes made up of pioneers and stragglers, using antiquated technology that the Twelve Colonies developed. They have spent their time since the attack searching for Earth, and this technologically advanced civilisation with unfamiliar technology must therefore be them. Starbuck concurs. They have gone past many planets that could have supported human life, but the desire to find the other humans has kept them from settling. Apollo rejects this claim, and insists that mankind is on the run and the only reason they need Earth is the hope it can protect them from the Cylons. Other people bring themselves into the discussion and insist that if the doctors don't succeed soon, it is obvious the Council of Twelve will force radical solutions. Soon, half of the Council arrive on Galactica ''to see the ship in person. They are forced away by Jolly as they have not received permission from Commander Adama. He adds to a newly-arrived Apollo that representatives of ships across the fleet have also arrived. Dr. Wilker's experiment on a chamber goes badly when he nearly short-circuits one of them, causing a loss in power that could affect the occupant. Based on his studies, Dr. Wilker confirms to Commander Adama that the people are from a planet known as Terra, which has one fifth the atmosphere of Caprica. Commander Adama, familiar with the Gemenese language, notices it means "earth" in that language. Sire Gellar enters Adama's office, and demands the six people be released from their slumber immediately. Adama is unwilling to do so, but also unwilling to take Apollo's suggestion of leaving them be. The hangar deck becomes filled with civilians demanding to see the six, forcing additional security personnel to guard the ship. A disagreement over whether Adama or the Council has authority to let them out - being a military or civilian matter - leads to Starbuck and Apollo readying their weapons to keep everyone out. Inside, one of the passengers, Michael, is released from his chamber. He awakens the other five, starting with the other adult, Sarah. He is concerned, as their ship is off-course and their chambers - "cocoons" - are faulty. He tells her to guard the children while he investigates the rest of the ship. On ''Galactica, the Council rules the six must be released, as they understand their systems are now failing anyway, starting with the adult male. Dr. Salik refuses to follow the order as it is against his medical ethics, and two med-techs from the Rising Star are orderered to do it anyway. News reaches the crew on the hangar bay as Michael exits the ship. Believing he is being held hostage, he demands they keep away, and shoots a man when he approaches. He refuses to believe Apollo's claim they are on a ship, as he knows no ship so large, demanding instead to know if it is a Lunar outpost. He soon passes out, the result of not being adapted to Caprican atmosphere levels. Starbuck and Apollo enter the ship, and find Sarah equally distressed and weak. Dr. Salik orders everyone be taken to a decompression chamber, as it is the only way they can survive. Another meeting is held at Adama's office. Apollo brings up how the chambers were near depleted before Dr. Wilker toyed with them, which could mean that there is a planet nearby full of humans who could be contacted instead. Starbuck suggests Adama take charge of the ship and its crew as a military matter, by bringing up the man who was shot with a stunning device. Finally, the order is given to jettison the craft and its passengers to protect them from disease spread by the Colonials. Cassiopeia launches the ship earlier than expected, however, and Jolly and Boomer realise too late that only Michael's chamber was returned to the ship. The Council, unaware of the "military" decision to jettison the ship, demand it be returned. Apollo and Starbuck are launched in their Vipers to retrieve it, the launch having been set to coincide with the two being prepared for a standard control. As expected, the ship approaches the planet, Paradeen, and receives a transmission from the surface. Michael is woken up by this transmission and responds to it in Cassiopeia's place. He regrets to inform the Colonials that their technology will now be dismantled to prevent tracking from the Eastern Alliance as Paradeen is a small settlement for refugees. Because of this, the Colonials will not be able to determine where Lunar 7 is. Some 20,000KM away, an Eastern Alliance patrol ship passes close to Paradeen and detects Michael's ship, which matches that of a fugitive ship which carried a farmer, a young woman and several children. The Commandant sees no reason to delay their patrol, however, and will report it to his commanders. He becomes concerned when he is told there are other vessels with it. As the sensor equipment cannot identify the Vipers as using any identifiable technology, he changes his mind and orders his ship intercept them. On Paradeen, the two Vipers and Michael's ship land at a dockyard for ships. Michael is greeted by his two android servants, Hector and his "son" Vector, who were assigned to complete the settlement. The two androids are confused by Starbuck and Apollo's appearance, having expected four children to show up. When they realise their mistake in thinking the two were young women, they present arms, having been ordered by Sarah's father to defend the planet from Eastern Alliance soldiers. Soon after arrival, the two realise that Sarah's father died while they were away. In their time on the planet, Sarah begins to feel an attachment toward Apollo and doesn't want him to leave, so destroys Apollo and Starbuck's Vipers. While Apollo, Starbuck, and Cassiopeia are in an abandoned city looking for records and archives of the planet's history, the Eastern Alliance ship lands on the planet and locates Michael's residence, holding Sarah hostage. Apollo and Starbuck return, and stealthily incapacitate the Alliance personnel guarding the house. They enter the house and quickly draw their lasers at the Alliance commanding officer, apprehending him. Apollo, Starbuck, and Cassiopeia leave Paradeen in the Eastern Alliance's own ship, with the members of the Alliance in custody. As they approach the Galactica, the members of the Alliance gaze in wonder at the sheer size of the battlestar. Production Cast * Lorne Greene as Commander Adama * Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo * Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck * Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh * John Colicos as Count Baltar * Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Lieutenant Boomer * Maren Jensen as Lieutenant Athena * Noah Hathaway as Boxey * Anne Lockhart as Lieutenant Sheba * Laurette Spang as Cassiopeia * Tony Swartz as Sergeant Jolly * John Dullaghan as Dr. Wilker * George Murdock as Dr. Salik * Randolph Mantooth as Michael * Kelly Harmon as Sarah * Murray Matheson as Geller * Bobby Van as Hector * Ray Bolger as Vector * Lester Fletcher as Donner * Gillian Greene as Melanie * David. G. Larson as Baby Walker * G. Eric Larson as Todd * Michelle Carol Larson as Charity * Alex Rodine as Lanceman * Gary Vinson as Doyle * Lesley Woods as Aggie Moreland * Kimberly Woodward as Loma * Lloyd Bochner as Commandant Leiter Sources External links *IMDb page *Transcript at ByYourCommand.net *[https://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/battlestar-galactica/video/greetings-from-earth-part-one/n3556 Greetings from Earth, Part I at NBC.com] *[https://www.nbc.com/classic-tv/battlestar-galactica/video/greetings-from-earth--part-two/n3557 Greetings from Earth, Part II at NBC.com] Category:Original Series episodes